St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-04-24
THE ROMANCE OF THE ROSARIO.
Gen. Affords Story of the Reopen
ing of an Old Mexican Silver

HnE Oh an OIu MeNhChh silver
J Mime.
St. Louis Republican.
If the histories of the old miners of Mex
leo could be collected in one volume what
stories of patient toll, slavery and blood
shed could be reSurrected from those
ancient holes in the ground. Probably
none of these mines could tell a stranger
or sadder history than one which is
located twenty miles north of Monterey.
which is now being reopened by COM
pany of which Gov. John G. Brown, of
Texas, is the president and Gen. George F.
Afford, of Dallas. the secretary and treas
urer. Gen. Afford has recently returned
from trip to the mines. and. in converse
ton yesterday with reporter of the
Republican. told the following story of the
ancient claim:
The Rosario mine.' he said, sis 10
Gated four miles west of the city of Sail
mas, about twenty miles north of Monterey
and ITO miles from Laredo. 1t was dis
covered by the SpaniardS in 1896, and was
worked with great profit for over CEN
fury. I went down to take a look at the
property about month ago, accompanied
by MI. Oliver, of Dallas, and while there
learned a great deal in regard to its his
tory. The opening of the mine is about
| 1000 feet up the steep side of the Sierra
| Nladre, and winding path leads up to it,
The way is so steep that | was almost
overcome with fatigue before I reached
the entrance, and when ar
rived there we found only
small tunnel that man could not stand
upright in. Having lighted our torches,
we started upon journey toward what
seemed to me the center OF the earth. The
| Spaniards probably first noticed the crop
pings on the outside, and, starting in at that
| point, followed the vein in all its tOrtuOus
windings. The tunnel at first Slants slightly
downward for about two hundred feet. and
theh opens into large chamber. From
this it continues on directly into the m Oun-
tain for a short dstance-the tunnel at this
point being so low that you have TO crawl
through it-and then it turns almost di-
rectly downward; and here is a
great tree notched for ladder. which
was placed in its present position
nearly 800 years ago, and is still as hard
and sound as on the day it was cut. Pass
ing on through the tunnel, we came to an
other great chamber. which, as near as l
could Judge by the light of our torches, was
about roo feet long and 400 feet wide and
high. Here l stopped completely worn
out, while Mr.. oliver and the guide went
the walls of the chambers was any quantity
of low grade ore. the Spaniards only taking
the high grade OF the body of the vein.
What labor it must have been to dig into
this blue limestone rock, almost as hard as
granite, with their crude tools, no man can
conceive.
1t seems almost beyond belief that they
could have carried the ore through all the
numerous chambers and ZgZag windingS of
the tunnel before reaching the great cham
Der where the bones of sixty Spaniards now
lie buried. But the peon slaves managed
to get through some way. The great cham
Der which referred to as entered by Mr..
Oliver is the scene of the last work of the
Spaniards, and here were left pillars of the
highest grade of ore to support the roof.
In this chamber was enacted the last act of
the tragedy which caused the abandonment
of the mine, and in order to understand
this it was necessary to make our
way out and down into the beauti-
full valley of the Monterey. The citizens of
Salinas and Villa del Carmen originated
with the opening and development of the
mines, and during the many years in which
the mines were worked these villages were
in fourishing condition. But, deriving
all their support from that source. they
ceased Salinas is four miles from the
mouth of the mine, on the line of the
Mexican National railway. while the Villa
del Carmen is almost at the foot of the
mountains. In the latter place, 200 years
ago, was an enormous stone church, the
ruins of which still exist, though covered
over with vines.
lone day, l suppose almost century
and half ago, the Indians attacked the
town, and 800 miners fled to the great
church for protection. There they were
besieged for many days. until, overcome
by starvation they surrendered. The re-
suit was massacre of every single man.
A stone wall about twenty feet high was
built around the spot where they were
buried, and to this day the simple natives
on certain day of the year decorate their
graves with flowers and garlands.
climbed the rude steps which lead into the
enclosure, there being no gate, and found
the grass green and well kept, while the
flowers, which had been placed there only
q few days before, were fresh and beauti-
full. When the city was attacked by the
Indians sixty miners made their escape to
the mines. where they could have defended
themselves against any number of Indians.
Making their way to the great chamber at
the end of the excavations. they remained
there until they thought the Indians had
retired. and then, believing that it would be
| impossible for them to continue working
| the mines, they decided to take what ore
they could with them and make their es-
cape Accordingly they commenced taking
down the pillars of almost solid silver. Be-
| fore they had taken many of them down
the roof fell in and they were buried be-
meath the great mass of ore, where their
bodies still lie.
1.-The records show that Sill. 900, 900 roy
| atty was paid the king of Spain by the vice
roy of Mexico on these mines. The royalty
demanded was 90 per cent. of the prOduc-
ton. so that during the time the mines were
worked at least $55, 900, 900 worth of ore
| was taken out. But l believe human
nature was the same 800 years ago as it is
| to-day, and just as property is to-day as
sessed at about one-fifth of it's real value,
SO, after considering this fact and the
fact that the 20 per cent. royalty
was considered great injustice L
put it down that as much as $780,
600, 600 worth of ore was taken out of
those mines. The ore, after being carried
by the poems through the tortuous wndings
of the tunnel to the mouth, was carried on
mules down the mountain to the rude
smelters. where are now great piles of
slack at least forty feet high. which have
laid there so long that great trees two feet
in diameter have grown up through them.
This slack has been assayed, and shows a
yield of from So to $24 TOM
y A Variety of Weather.
Philadelphia News.
When Byron sneered at s'roses in De-
cember, ice in june" he had never spent
an nril in Philadelnhin